A PRINCELY PROMOTER

TV Writer Tom Jicha reports from the annual summer press tour in Pasadena, Calif., where the television industry is unveiling its fall schedule and stars.

The royal currently known as Prince made his first appearance ever on the television press tour. On behalf of PBS, of course.

Prince Edward, seventh in line to the British throne, showed up to promote Crown & Country, a series of historical specials on Great Britain, which he produced and hosts. The show will air on PBS in the fall.

The Duchess of York _ a k a Fergie _ once took part in a press tour via satellite to promote a kiddie show she created. However, this was the first time a member of a royal family has met with TV writers in person. PBS took out the good china. Edward's press conference was billed as "high tea"; strawberries and cream, scones, finger sandwiches and petit fours graced the tables. Waiters donned white gloves.

It really was a wasted effort for a group to whom "commoner" is a compliment and a promotion. Edward was refreshingly down to earth, engaging and humorous. He arrived without entourage or visible security. He even sent word that he preferred to be addressed by his first name, without reference to title.

One of the joys of coming to America, he said, is that he can be recognized for his work, not his lineage. "Certainly in our country, we have hangups about titles. I don't think you have so much [of that) in this country. So I come to this country and talk to people about producing programs and they just accept that that's what I'm there to talk about. In Britain, you've got a title, then you obviously don't have any brains, so there's no point talking about anything else."

Crown & Country is not a one-shot dabble; Edward is serious about TV production and wants to make it his life's work. "Forgive me if I don't go through the production slate here," he said. "As a company, we have a broad range of factual programs, documentaries, some drama and a little bit of sport thrown in as well."

The prince appears to have an uncommon grip on the appetite of the masses. His program will not be laden with arcane facts and dates, he said. "One of the things we were very conscious of for this particular series was that, although it is history in the broad sense of the word, it is certainly not intended as a history lesson. It should be entertaining."

Whole chunks of history were studiously avoided, Edward said, lest they bog down the show. "For instance, we mention on several occasions the Magna Carta," he said. "But I wouldn't dream of explaining the Magna Carta on this series because everybody would switch off before we got halfway through."

He even has a veteran TV producer's attitude about the inevitable criticism he will encounter because of his populist approach. "There are lots of academics out there who will no doubt criticize the program and say, 'Well, you can't prove that.' Or, 'That's just a bit of hearsay.' So what. It's been handed down, it is known as a piece of folklore. Why not include it and let the viewers decide whether they want to believe it or not?"

He really is a prince of a guy.

BBC's cable colony

The British pipeline to PBS and A&E; might soon be shut off. The Brits eventually intend to keep their best shows for the new cable channel BBC America.

The network, which launched in the United States in March, is available in fewer than 1 percent of cable homes. So most of the outstanding programming offered on BBC America is virtually invisible in America. This limited reach has a positive aspect, at least for PBS and A&E;: It is in the BBC's interest to maintain its relationship with its U.S. partners for the foreseeable future.

"We would not have launched a BBC channel in [America) if we didn't expect it to become the home of the BBC [programs)," said Paul Lee, general manager of BBC America. "Our audiences are going to expect us to show the very best. At the same time, you must understand that we are a public service broadcaster ourselves. It's very much in our interest to support [American) public broadcasting.

"But more than that, we are very proud of the sort of profile that Masterpiece Theatre and Mystery! have given to our programs. We have a huge number of fans out there. So we are clearly going to balance it and make sure that we do work in the future with PBS and A&E; to see our programs in front of a large amount of Americans."

PBS looks homeward

The potential loss of BBC programs isn't causing PBS to lose sleep, PBS President Ervin Duggan told TV writers. "People hear British accents and immediately they think the program is from the BBC. The fact is, only 3 percent of our total programming comes from BBC." Duggan cited the Emmy-winning Prime Suspect miniseries, which comes from Granada TV, as an example of acclaimed, non-BBC British television.

Coincidentally, the major programming announcement of the PBS press tour was the creation of a new series of American dramas, which will be dubbed Masterpiece Theatre American Collection. It is PBS' first major effort to showcase the work of American authors since the demise of American Playhouse.

Nine productions, some of them multi-parters, are planned over three seasons, starting in 1999-2000. Four projects have already been chosen: Willa Cather's Song of the Lark; Langston Hughes' Cora Unashamed; Henry James' The Americans; and Mark and Livy, the story of Mark Twain and his wife, Olivia. This initiative could be considered a response to BBC America, Duggan said, but the fact is, it has been in the works for some time.

Duggan also announced another ambitious undertaking, the series A World of History, which will be introduced with a three-parter on Greece, a four-part production on Napoleon and a multi-parter of still undetermined length on Islam.

There will be additional subjects down the line, Duggan promised. He might even be able to coax PBS' newest contributor, Prince Edward, to do one.